1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a new type of movable washstand, more particularly intended for the hospital environment, but nonetheless not limited to this single application.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain patients, or even simply elderly people, are often so frail that it is not possible for them to get up to wash or to simply freshen up. Now, hygiene and comfort of these people nevertheless make it necessary for them to freshen up, even if only once a day. In order to do this, it was firstly proposed to use two bowls which would be placed on the board which also served as a support for meal trays. Aside from the impractical aspect of this method it does not, moreover, fulfill the most elementary conditions of hygiene, required for certain pathologies, especially contagious ones. Moreover, the minimum comfort conditions are not met.
Movable washstands were then proposed, for example washstands on castors, comprising a sink communicating via an evacuation pipe with a waste-water storage tank. The water necessary for washing or for freshening up is generally contained in a basin or a bowl simply placed on the washstand. Once again, the conditions of hygiene, although better respected than in the preceding case, still remain insufficient for a great number of applications. Moreover, the patient is obliged to bend to one side or the other of his bed in order to be able to reach the washstand, and thus to freshen up. Finally, this type of movable washstand requires a lot of manipulation for the nursing staff and thus proves to be impractical.